The fire was reportedly sparked when a transformer – a device that transfers electrical energy through circuits – caught fire, knocking out the power in a huge section of west London, including London’s Heathrow Airport
Hayes: Drone footage shows fire at electrical substation
Terrifying footage shows an aerial view of the horrific fire in Hayes that shut down one of the world’s busiest airports.
Passengers face unprecedented chaos today after more than 1,300 flights to and from Heathrow Airport were cancelled or diverted after a blaze tore through the nearby electrical substation serving the transport hub.
A huge portion of west London has been left without power, with thousands of households suffering blackouts. As it stands, 1,351 flights have been affected by the electricity outage. One-hundred-and-twenty of those were already in the air when the closure was announced.
Dramatic drone footage taken above the North Hyde electrical substation in Hayes, west London, shows huge plumes of thick, acrid smoke billowing into the early morning sky. The infernal blaze continued rolling, surging with power ever now and again, as the drone closed in on the scene. Heathrow is the UK’s largest airport, with more than 83.9 million passengers travelling through its terminals in 2024.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation. Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025. We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.
“We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available. We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation.”
Online tracking services showed flights being diverted to Gatwick, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and Ireland’s Shannon Airport. A number of flights were also turned around and returned to airports in Canada and the United States.
Gatwick Airport confirmed it had accepted seven diverted flights from locations including Singapore, Johannesburg, Lagos, Cape Town and Doha which were originally destined for Heathrow. “We are aware of the situation at Heathrow Airport today and we are supporting by accepting diverted flights as required,” an airport spokesperson said. “Flights are operating from London Gatwick as normal today.”
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said on X there was a large-scale power outage in Hayes, Hounslow and the surrounding areas impacting more than 16,300 homes.
According to the power company’s website, authorities aimed to restore power by 3pm on Friday.
A National Grid spokesperson said the fire had damaged equipment and they “working at speed to restore power supplies as quickly as possible”. London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters were still on the scene at Nestles Avenue in Hayes just before 6am with part of a transformer still alight.
Around 150 people have been evacuated from surrounding properties and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution.
Assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said: “This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible. “The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption.”
Firefighters led 29 people from surrounding properties to safety.
The brigade said nearly 200 calls had been received in relation to the incident with crews from Hayes, Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall and surrounding areas on the scene.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 11.23pm on Thursday. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.